Activist reports death threats to prevent her from leaving her home in Havana

Cuban activist Yamilka Lafita Cancio, known as Lara Crofs on social media, reported on Wednesday that she has received death threats to prevent her from leaving her home in Havana.

Lafita shared on Facebook screenshots of threatening messages sent from an official account with an openly violent tone.

"Remember that anyone can have an accident... Fire and death to the worms," says one of the messages, which also insults the activist and questions her right to reside and express herself freely in Cuba.

The sender, identified as "Ala Carga," threatened physical retaliation for his activism and issued an ideological warning: "You think that because you have a little money you can dictate in Cuba. In Cuba, the revolutionaries are in charge, not the worms."

In another message, the aggressor confronts Lafita and issues a direct threat: "Fire and death to the worms," in a clear and violent disdain towards those who oppose the regime.

These threats add to a pattern of harassment that the activist has been publicly documenting on her social media.

Also this Wednesday, Lafita reported on Facebook that she was subjected to a police cordon, which she described as the beginning of a new day of "morning repression."

“The agent says he’s hiding behind the tree out of fear of showing his face (…) they shout at me that starting today I cannot leave my house, due to my behavior,” reported the activist.

According to her words, at least five people —including two young women, allegedly linked to repressive groups known as “las marianas”— were sent to watch her from near the home of the president of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) in her neighborhood.

Lafita questioned the use of state resources such as patrol cars and motorcycles to monitor citizens demanding their rights, instead of allocating those resources to the real needs of the people.

"How they allocate resources (...) to suppress those of us who demand rights for everyone. I still don't understand why they are hiding," he wrote.

In a live broadcast that also took place this Wednesday from her Facebook account, Lafita detailed the situation of police cordon and harassment that she was subjected to since early in the morning.

“Today I woke up early, as usual, and a friend informed me that there was a patrol in the block. I didn't go out or look, thinking that something might have happened. Then I started receiving messages and screenshots from several neighbors, warning me that I was being watched again,” she explained.

According to the activist, the agents —mostly young people— positioned themselves in front of her house, hidden behind a bush in front of the CDR president's home.

"They have an uncanny ability to hide five people behind a bush, I can't explain it," he quipped, after mentioning that even a neighbor from the area might have let that plant grow to provide shade for the repressors.

During the morning, an agent who identified himself as Raúl González yelled at him from the street that he had a "closure" and that he could not leave his house due to "his behavior."

When demanding explanations, he received no concrete response. “What behavior?” he asked several times without getting any specifics. “It's a tired speech, without justification, because they have nothing to justify themselves with,” he asserted.

Lafita stated that she was scheduled to meet with several people that day to collect donations, but she was forced to cancel everything out of fear that they would have their items seized or experience a difficult situation due to the operation.

"I don't want anyone to have a bad time, nor do I want them to take away what they come looking for out of necessity," he said.

The activist insisted that she will not allow her home to be turned into a "dungeon" or for the repressive relationship of "I bail you out and take you to jail; you don't bail out and I threaten you" to become normalized.

He reaffirmed that he will not be silenced or cower in fear: "The day I need to leave, I will. They know it."

In one moment of the video, visibly affected, she compared the situation to previous experiences of repression. She also shared her joy upon learning that the activist Ariel Ruiz Urquiola had been returned one of the animals stolen from his farm, which, she said, restored some hope amid such harassment.

Towards the end, he reiterated his conviction to stay in Cuba, despite the harassment: “I am not going to leave my country just because I disagree. I am not going to stay silent. And if what they are looking for is a show, violence, scandals… they will not find it here, unless I need to leave and they become violent.”

The activist has been subjected to acts of harassment in the past, and has previously reported the systematic surveillance of her surroundings, the cutting of her phone lines, and attempts to criminalize her humanitarian aid to vulnerable individuals.

The Cuban activist Adelth Bonne Gamboa recently alerted through his Facebook account that he is in danger within Cuba, after receiving repeated threats from profiles linked to the government.

"I'm in Cuba and I am in danger," he wrote in a post where he directly holds the "oppressors in power" responsible for any harm that may come to him.

According to the complaint, for the past week, they have been the target of online harassment by digital agents of the regime, who, in their effort to silence dissenting voices, have sent them intimidating messages, including death threats.

Bonne Gamboa emphasized that many downplay this type of harassment, but she reminds us that the history of the Cuban regime is marked by repression and political violence.

"I remain very alert about this situation and I denounce it once again to the world," he expressed.

The activist also made an urgent call to his followers, family, and friends to ensure that if anything happens to him, they do not leave his mother alone in her demand for his freedom. "In Cuba, I only have my mother and an aunt. Support her and guide her," he requested.

In his message, he specifically requested that demands not cease in the event of arbitrary detention, even if his own family were to ask for it under pressure.

"I, Adel Alfredo Bonne Gamboa, tell you to keep demanding my freedom. Let the whole world know that in Cuba, they put people who only tell the truth in the darkest corners of the island," he stated.

He assures that he is fine for now, but warns that his attackers know no bounds. "Show the regime what bothers them so much about me: how popular and admired I am among what remains of the country."

Frequently Asked Questions about the Harassment of Activists in Cuba